Knowledge Makers: Indigenous Student Undergraduate Researchers and Research

Abstract

As higher education institutions seek to provide further scope for diversity in their practices, there is space opening up for Indigenous undergraduate research. This article reflects on the Knowledge Makers program, an Indigenous undergraduate research initiative based in British Columbia, Canada. The Knowledge Makers program shows what is possible when an Indigenous approach is used to mentor Indigenous undergraduate students and offers promising practices for increasing Indigenous researchers and research, such as drawing on the knowledge of Indigenous ancestors, valuing Indigenous research methodologies, using a strengths-based approach, performing research as a type of service, and committing to legacy.

The Kungullanji Program: Creating an Undergraduate Research Experience to Raise Aspirations of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students in the Sciences

“…Rather than a traditional internship or apprenticeship model (Linn et al 2015;Rowland et al 2014;Seymour et al 2004), the students have a more active role in the direction of the project. This view is consistent with approaches advocated in the literature to move from deficit thinking and toward creating cultures of success with a strength-based approach (Moodie et al 2018;Naepi and Airini 2019). Flipping the selection process and encouraging students to design their own projects based on their strengths and interests encourages more positive relationships through collaboration between students and academic staff.…”

“…Through the program, students receive continuous individual support from the program facilitator prior to commencement and continuing after the completion of the project, an approach shown to be an integral component of successful educational programs (Gould and MacPherson 2003;Naepi and Airini 2019) General comments GPA/admission requirements 3 "I loved that there was no GPA cut-off . .…”

“…Although UREs have been shown to be successful for minority groups, including First Nations students outside of Australia (Garrison et al 2010;Hughes et al 2013;Naepi and Airini 2019), UREs in Australia are not designed to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Restrictive selection criteria of Australian UREs focusing primarily on grade point average (GPA) and institutional measures of success (Jewell and Brew 2010)…”

Quantitative Methods in the Assessment of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Inquiry

“…The assessment of some undergraduate research programs may rely on the qualitative methods suitable for the nature of the program. For example, Naepi and Airini (2019) described the Knowledge Makers program used to mentor Indigenous researchers and evaluated the impact of the program through e-portfolios and student reflections without the use of quantitative data. Zhen (2020) described a program for teaching chefs to be researchers…”

Improving Content Analysis: Tools for Working with Undergraduate Research Assistants

“…In addition to course credit or compensation, students accrue valuable skills and experience. They meet faculty members who can serve as mentors, learn how to overcome the challenges of the research process, and refine their own interests (Hakim 1998;Hunter, Laursen, and Seymour 2007;Lopatto 2004Lopatto , 2007Starke 1985). Faculty members, postdocs, and graduate students also stand to benefit.…”